


You’re Crazy, You’re Doomed

by oakest



Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Awkward Crush, Beginnings, F/M, aka Paris and Jess are definitely Not attracted to each other, except when they are, underrated rare pair
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 21:41:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21955849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oakest/pseuds/oakest
Summary: The crush started off as a small lie, something to help Rory. It wasn't like she had any shot - the boy was clearly mad about the little Anne of Green Gables they had in common, not her. Even when Paris did lie on Rory's couch that night and feel her heart speed up remembering Jess’ blue eyes, she'd written him off as another Tristan. He was the kind of bad boy that made her swoon like a bumbling idiot, but if she ever fainted in front of him, he'd happily step right over her and into Rory's arms. So it didn't really matter that she couldn't get him out of her head. At least, that's what Paris told herself.
Relationships: Paris Geller/Jess Mariano
Comments: 12
Kudos: 19





	You’re Crazy, You’re Doomed

There was something about Jess that kept him in the forefront of Paris’s mind. She would have to kill him if his miniature self kept interrupting her homework like this. 

That first evening they'd really met in Rory's kitchen had been life-changing for Paris. Mac-n-cheese. Stereotypical love triangle drama. Rory just almost calling her a friend. So many things she'd never experienced, and suddenly she was stolen from her front row seat of the world and actually thrust into it. Jess made her feel like she was actually allowed to live in the world as herself. He had all the qualities of a cool, hair-gelled bad boy, the kind who would normally relegate her to the sidelines of social situations, but he eagerly engaged with her instead. She'd never had anyone give her permission to be herself the way he had when he began the conversation about the Beats. Not that she needed anyone's permission to do anything. Ever. Especially not a man's permission. She was a regular Pankhurst, for God's sake. And yet... No. No, Paris told herself. She couldn't. Because that night had been life-changing for her. But that was just her.

Jess already had all the life-changing experience he needed and then some. He was the one inviting her into his world. She wasn't about to be puppy-dog Rory, letting boys use her like a doormat. In every other aspect of her life, Paris was the master. She resented feeling like the apprentice around Jess, like he was teaching her all the basics she was supposed to know.

But at the same time that she resented it, she loved it. It was thrilling. Just a single meal with Jess and she felt new, raw nerves suddenly open to see things she'd never noticed before. Rory was wrong about the Beats exposing her to a new world - that was the work of Rory and Jess, not Ferlinghetti's acrobatics.

She'd never had a friend like Rory before. She'd never had a crush like Jess before, either.

The crush started off as a small lie, something to help Rory. It wasn't like she had any shot - the boy was clearly mad about the little Anne of Green Gables they had in common, not her. Even when she did lie on Rory's couch that night and feel her heart speed up remembering his blue eyes, she'd written him off as another Tristan. He was the kind of bad boy that made her swoon like a bumbling idiot, but if she ever fainted in front of him, he'd happily step right over her and into Rory's arms. So it didn't really matter that she couldn't get him out of her head. At least, that's what Paris told herself.

———

It would crush Paris to have it confirmed, but she was right; her revolutionary night had been exceedingly un-revolutionary in Jess' book. Not that he didn't find perverse and immense enjoyment in goading the Jolly Green Giant at the end of the night, but their dinner wasn't something he gave much thought to. At first.

On one of the off days Jess actually graced Stars Hollow High with his presence, he was blessed with a partner activity in his International Studies class, the one he had with Lane. She gave him more death glares than anything, knowing full well he wasn't going to be bothered to answer his half of the reading questions. But for all her sniping, Jess knew he was growing on her. Jess also knew gaining the toleration of Lane was an important step to get Rory to tolerate him. So here he was, in International Studies, almost actually considering reading the provided passage. Almost.

"So," Lane begins, eyes still scanning multiple choice answers but a small smile forming. "I heard you met Paris." She's full-on smirking now. Jess gives a huff of a laugh.

"Oh, yeah. She makes an impression, I'll give her that. Rory tell you about it?" Jess responded, trying his best to veer the conversation back to Rory. He taps his fingers on the desk, waits while Lane scribbles down a note in the margins and promptly circles C.

"No, Dean mentioned it actually. Her crush on you sounds like top-notch comedy from bizarro-land," Lane says, still smiling absentmindedly. Keeping his face stoic takes Jess more effort than it's ever taken before this moment. He's not even sure he succeeds entirely.

"Her what on me now?" Jess chokes out. Lane finally looks up at him, takes in his raised eyebrows and paling face. Her own face loses some color.

"Oh my god. You didn't know. You didn't know?" Lane's confusion morphs to horror. "I am the worst friend-of-a-friend to ever exist. I cannot believe I just blabbed that. I can't believe you didn't know. I never took Paris for subtle," she rambles. She might continue, Jess isn't even sure. He never took Paris for a master of subtlety either, and now he's trying to re-examine where exactly he missed the subtext between the two of them.

"Huh."

———

"Jess!" Rory yelps, shoulders slumping again after the shock Jess gave her by appearing at her side on the park bench. She huffs and shoves her book into her bag. "Would it kill you to start with a hello every once in a while?"

"Hello," he responds, that little smirk of his twitching like it always does when he thinks he's being clever with her. Rory makes a show of rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her bag in her lap.

When Jess stays silent, Rory gives him a look out of the side of her eyes. "Well? Come to say anything or just remind me of your fantastic potential as the villain in a noir?"

Jess, as usual, is frustratingly unshaken by the bait. He just smiles and shrugs. "Waiting for your bus?"

"Yep." Rory tries the monosyllabic thing. He just smiles some more.

"So you're off to Chilton," he continues, nodding to himself a little. Rory gives him a skeptical glance.

"Did you hit your head and need refreshers? I'm talking in the recent past, skipping the obvious incident as a baby," Rory teases, starting to smile despite herself.

"Ha, ha," Jess mocks, but he can't hide his smile either. He's pleased that she's engaging with him again. "No head trauma. Just... making conversation."

"Conversation," Rory parrots. Jess nods.

"You know. I talk, you talk, words are exchanged, messages communicated. It's all the rage these days."

"So I've heard," Rory replies. She's smiling again.

"You've heard? So you've had a conversation before?"

"Oh, I'm world famous for my word-exchanging, buddy," Rory laughs. Jess is holding her gaze. She looks away.

"Good to know," he says, looking away himself to let her off the hook. His voice has that sweet tone to it, the one that has too many undertones for Rory to think about without her head spinning. "So. You're off to Chilton."

"Jess, I've never known you to be someone who beats around the bush," Rory states, not needing to say more to get her point across. Jess leans back, lets out a big defensive sigh.

"Lane mentioned something... about Paris having a crush on me," Jess blurts, half mumbling the last part, shoving his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. Rory nearly jumps upright where she sits.

"Oh," she manages to force out a word, but her brain is struggling to function. First she had to cope with the split second after hearing that when she had forgotten Paris' lie and thought it might be true that she liked him, and that mental image was enough to send her to therapy. Then there was the moral complications with what under the sun she should say next - keep up the story and sell out Paris? Tell Jess and run the risk he runs to rub it in Dean's face? And whichever she told him, she did have to deal with the fact that Jess sought her out to bring it up - what could he possibly want, chasing this avenue? And then, even worse questions - she hadn't talked to Lane about this yet, so how did Jess get this information exactly? Only her mother and Dean had been privy - oh my god.

"Lane mentioned it? Lane mentioned it to you?" Rory stutters. Despite himself, Jess doesn't maintain his cool very well; his head snaps up to examine Rory.

"So you're serious then? Paris has it in for me?" He asks, taking her lack of a denial as confirmation. Rory's mouth opens dumbly.

Before she can answer, her bus rolls to a stop in front of their bench. She looks from the bus to Jess' conflicted face several times, heart beating in her face.

"I- I have to go." Her throat is dry. The hiss of the bus doors opening steals her attention for another second. "We'll talk later," she tells Jess as she stands and pulls her bag over her shoulders.

Jess nods, stoic again. "Okay. Later." He says it like he knows she wants to escape the conversation, letting her go for now but the "later" holding a promise that he'd hold her to it. They exchange small smiles. On the bus, when Rory looks over her shoulder at the disappearing bench, Jess is still sitting there, staring ahead.

She'd never have proof, but Rory had a hunch that he sat there for hours, staring ahead.


End file.
